Founded by renowned environmentalist and ethologist Jane Goodall, the Jane Goodall Institute is a global nonprofit that empowers people to make a difference for all living things. Our work builds on Dr. Goodall’s scientific work and her humanitarian vision. Specifically, we seek to:

• Improve global understanding and treatment of great apes through research, public education and advocacy;
• Contribute to the preservation of great apes and their habitats by combining conservation with education and promotion of sustainable livelihoods in local communities;
• Create a global network of young people who have learned to care deeply for their human community, for all animals and for the environment, and who will take responsible action to care for them.

History

The Jane Goodall Institute for Wildlife Research, Education and Conservation was founded in 1977 in California by Jane Goodall in cooperation with Princess Genevieve di San Faustino. The Institute now has offices in 23 countries around the world.

The Jane Goodall Institute of Canada was established in Montreal, Quebec in 1994. In the fall of 1995, Dr. Goodall gave her first Canadian lecture tour. From there, the Jane Goodall Institute of Canada quickly expanded its initiatives.

The Roots & Shoots environmental and humanitarian education program was launched in Canada in 1993 to empower youth to engage in their community to learn about and solve problems affecting humans, animals and the environment.

Through the Chimp Guardian program, Canadians can do their part in saving critically endangered wild chimpanzees from extinction by sponsoring the care of an orphan chimpanzee at one of the Jane Goodall Institute's chimpanzee sanctuaries in Africa.

In 2006, the Jane Goodall Institute of Canada made it possible for Canadians to support a greater diversity of the Institute's Africa programs stemming from our community-centered conservation philosophy, including scholarships for girls, micro-credit for local sustainable business initiatives, and education and training programs in wildlife conservation.